english literature essay

Studying The Challenges Faced By Adolescence English Literature Essay

Published: 23, March 2015

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An infant has the mind of a sponge. Through childhood people absorb most of what they know through their parents weather it be good or bad. Because of the child's complete innocence they are unaware of the difference between god and bad. In the texts, it is unfortunate that the children are exposed to bad behaviors, which in time results in the failure in their life. The authors attempt to show how crucial it is for a parent to set a good example for their children. Ignorance is often what leads to bad parenting. Both authors reveal the importance for parents to educate themselves. For one, they should be able to distinguish the difference between assisting, and utterly making decision for their child. It is crucial to give the child some indecency and give them the freedom to choose as it is a significant part of growing up. In Londonstani, the protagonist Jas is upset because of the lack of trust his mother has on him: "My mother be makin decisions for me, thinking I'm stupid, that I cant decide for ma self no more "(Malkani 102). Affliction is the other novel that displays the responsibilities of parents for enhancing their children's characteristics. The tragic hero, Wade has a considerably large character flaw that has been transferred from his father. "â€¦ Though glen loved sally, he beat her from time to time"(Banks 95). Wade narrates that his father Glen, beat Sally (mother). And the fact that he is aware of this information shows that his father beat his mother up in front of the children. One beating up his wife is clearly erroneous, but doing this in front of the children makes it that much worse, because of the example he is setting up for the children. Within the two quotes both similarly shows the negative effects of parents who set bad examples for their children on daily bases. The difference is that Wades father is deliberately beating up his wife in front of the children, while Jas mother is unaware that her decisions making for his son is affecting him in a negative way. If the parents educate themselves in these areas they will limit the bad examples they set. However, some parents set bad example and know it is wrong, so they tell their children to not do it, even though they do it themselves. "I told you not to hang out with anyone who is not Hindu like us!"(Malkani 85). Jas' mother tells him to not associate with certain people. Jas then questions her friends and realizes that she has just contradicted what she had just said making her look like a hypocrite. In other cases parents don't believe that their children observing their actions and absorbing what they see and reflecting on it. "Our father was a turbulent man who drank heavily"(Banks 95). Wade clearly notices that his father is a heavy drinker. At a young age a child should not be revealed to those who are heavy drinkers, though a child has no control of this. It is very clear as of the two quotes that the parents constantly disregard that their children are absorbing what they see which serves as the similarity among the two quotes. Another similarity is that the children see the behaviors shown by their parents, and then begin to portray them, which contributes to their character flaw and is also responsible for the tragedy that occurs within their lives. It is very clear, that bad examples shown by parents lead to failures of the characters life, not only as a child but also as an adult.

Because families depend a lot on each other the relationship that exists between them tend to have a significant impact on each other's lives. In Londonstani the tragic hero experiences a physical encounter with his mother and this triggers him to commit actions he has never done before. "Is this the way I bring you up? Like fighter-cock badmarsh ruffian?... You vont to kill me, hah? Is that it? You vont to kill your own mother?" ( Malakani 120 ). This argument between Jas and his mother is what triggers his decision to run away from home. It is crucial for a parent to listen and absorb what the child is going through and to have the ability to relate and share ideas in an interactive way and engage a friendship or some sort of bond so they child knows that parent will be there for them. If a parent fails to meet this requirement it increase the chance of a child to separat himself from the family as did the protagonist in the storey. A similar parent to child relationship exists in the Affliction. "Wade thought, "I wish my father was dead"" (Banks 191). This statement is very clear and shows the direct feeling of the child towards his father. Throughout the novel but especially in this quote, the feelings the protagonist is vivid towards his father. Again, the weak bond the child and parents have leads to the disconnection and lack of love between them which later on results in the tragic ending of the hero and the death of his father. The two cases within the books differ in the sense that the situation in Londonstani, does not show that the relationship between Jas and his mother is entirely bad, though the second quote can lead to a conclusion that the relationship between Wade and his father lacks in trust, love, and clearly is an unpleasant one. Since in the settings of the quotes, both heroes are young, it is clear that the parents are the cause of the poor relationship between the child and the parent. At such a young age, the heroes are considered innocent; meaning anything going wrong between his relationships with his parents is not his fault.

Generally, it is unwise to think that a child would run away from his parents or home for no apparent reason. A young child is fragile and must be loved by both parents for it to have the ability to live happily as a teenager or adults. In Lodontanni, Jas is distressed concerning his mother, because he chooses to love his father rather than his mother. "My father once told me, you can either be mama's boy or daddy's boy, but you can not be both." (Malkani 204). Although it is hard to belive, the quote shows how a father demandingly shifts the love from his son, which should be shared by parents all to himself. This causes a distorted balance of love and disengages a child from one parent. For one to grow utterly it is crucial for them to gain aspects from both parents, but this will be challenging to achieve if the love a child has for his parent is limited. In Affliction, Wades whole family is threatened by the instability of his father. "His wife and children none the less ran and hid from him"(Banks 98). The fear the whole family has towards their own father has led them to hide. This is an example of the lack of love not only the protagonist has with his father but the whole family. The inability to live freely and happily in a home as a child is the root cause of the instability of Wade in his adulthood.

The two quotes contribute to the theory showing that children's tragedy is commonly the result of parents who are incapable giving the required freedom to their child. The difference is that in Affliction the father influences wade through his bad habits and general character, while in Londonstani the father forces the child to choose between him and the mother, essentially taking away the freedom to love both. Parents must try and maintain a strong and healthy relationship between them and their child and give the freedom to live happily. If a parent does not satisfy the needs of a child, they are considered negative role models.

Giving a child the undivided attention required is a type of support they need growing up. It is obvious that the first mentor of a child is the parent. Thus, when in need of assistance and companionship a child directs their search for an answer towards their parents. This allows the child to feel protected and safe while living at home. Within the books read, the parents tend to overlook their children without realizing it. "But also his mother would not protect him" (Banks 169). This reveals how the afflicted mother goes through regular beatings from her husband making her incapable of providing protection for her child. By not defending her child and due to the selfishness of the father the children grow up in an environment that lacks in freedom and protection. "I as always careful around Pop. I was a careful child who obtained happiness from his absence (Banks 189). Wades father deliberately walks out of his life, leaving him to grow up with a missing piece and an inappropriate understanding of adulthood and adolescence. This leaves the child ignorant in specific life experiences a child should undergo and gives them a disadvantage compare to normal cases where the child has 2 good role models they can call parents. The deteriorating parent-child relationships continue in Londonstani as Jas decides to question the rules of South Asian culture. Malkani has portrayed Jas as a character who sustains his personal life private from his parents, especially his father. He is aware that his parents do not approve of his friends and the gang he belongs in. This is evident when Jas says: "Either way, seeing him makes me feel even sicker an so now I barely have the energy to get vexed. I just need them both to go away" (Malkani 203). Jas's as an individual is very independent; he foes not rely greatly on his parents. This seems to be because of the failure of understanding the reason why he has chose to hang out with his group of associates. At this point Jas feels almost certain that he will never be able to fulfill his parents' dreams, and might as well avoid their confrontations all together.

Similar ignorant acts by parents are shown in Affliction when Wade as a father decides to fulfill his wishes before his daughters. ". . . I lost sight of you for a few minutes, he said. I just had to step out for a smoke" (Banks, 28). This is one example of Wade being a bad father himself, leaving his daughter unattended in a an environment she is not accustomed to. He prefers smoking his cigarette over his daughter, something Wads father would have done himself. This reveals the lack of trust his daughter now has for her, and more so the negative influence he has on her. The reason why Wade is such a bad father is because he grew up under the influence of a bad father. Bad parenting often leads to bad children who carry that negativity from childhood to adulthood. In the novel, Londonstani, the tragic hero turns around to hurt his mother, responding to her act of ignorance. "Dont make me show you how I really feel about you" (Malkani 203). Jas is reminiscing on his behavior concerning his mother, which is the result of the pain he has suffered from his father. In the first case, Wade is ignoring his daughter even though he had suffered the same problems from hid parents. In Londontanni, Jas denies his mothers love due to the frustration that had been built up through bad parenting. Both quotes show how bad parenting leads to a life long cycle that continues on from one child to another. Hence why both authors focus so much on it revealing the significance of the role parent has on their child. Both protagonists unleash their frustrations on their family and a person they love which makes the message the author is trying to send more suspenseful.

It is very adverse to see the lack of parenting skills among families and within the society children grow up in. children neglected by parents and other influences growing up tend to continue the trend as parents themselves, possessing unhealthy relationships with their own children. Within the novels, the failures of the heroes were a product of poor parenting, negative influences and flaws transferred from parents to children. As a child it is very hard to overcome bad parenting, but as a parent people should seek positive change with the way they interrelate with their child.

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